(picture of my hair to reference)
http://m4m24g36.tripod.com/
Hello all.
I am a newbie here.
As I am sure you know, it can be a pretty daunting task to find help on such a subject. I am happy to have found such a forum. I have been browsing and searching the forum for the past week.
My situation may be sort of unique and I need some advice.
Just some quick info: I am an Italian-American male, 27 years old.
Referencing my photo, you will see the two photos of when I had short hair. This was just a year ago. I had been wearing my hair like this for years and never was concerned about thinning. It also makes it a bit difficult to tell if you're thinning when your hair is so short (at least I think so). I really noticed the thinning when I decided to grow my hair long this year (like the photos you see). So one might devise one theory stating that maybe male pattern baldness has been in progress for some years and I did not notice it due to wearing my hair short and now that I grew it out, it's more noticable. But there is an issue that might have played a big role. The past year of 2003, I had been living in a different location. A hot climate all year. I was constantly stressed about my life. I was eating crappy food. Microwave meals and maybe too much pasta and olive oil. I know for sure I was missing alot of nutrients. Also, I'm sure the water I showered with was different in that location. I am pretty badly underweight, losing 10-15lbs the past year. Just 125 for a six foot male! For quite a while I've always suspected a hyperactive thyroid gland. I was tested some years back, results where negative. This past year I was tested for it again. Same thing, no hyperthyroidism. I would have actually been happy to hear that I had it. It would have explained away alot of the symptoms I have. I mean, should I really go and get tested yet again. Gee. One other strange thing I was thinking might be a problem, are parasites. I came across an episode on tv discussing this and it does make sense because I can eat so much yet never gain weight. And maybe they are robbing nutrients to my hair. Who knows?!!
The issue right now is that my hair is really fine, baby fine. I don't remember it like this before. I mean, I've always had fine hair but not like this. It's like air when it's dry and you run your hands through it. It just seems so dead and empty. I also want to emphasize that I do have alot of hairs, it's just that they are all way too thin. I am talking about the ones on top. My side hairs and back hairs are o.k. I inspected real close to my scalp and noticed that it seems like there are no empty spaces, meaning lost hairs. So it's not exactly like I am losing hairs, just that they have become real fine.
The hair you see in the photos which I took a few days ago, is styled with a light amount of a hair groom creamy type lotion. So it's not my styling product.
So....I really need some advice. I have returned home a couple weeks back. There is less stress, I am eating better, taking a daily vitamin, and I am in my old environment. So I was thinking on maybe riding it out for a half year of so to see if my hair comes back thicker. I have gotten frustrated quite a few times and wanted to cut my hair short again, but I really like having it longer so I decide not to go forth with cutting it short.
So as you can see, it can be pretty confusing. If I had not gone through such a change in lifestyle in the last year, then for sure I would suspect male pattern baldness and would take the recommended actions.
Heck, also to consider, what if I have some sort of type of disease? Like....I don't know, cancer, or yikes, HIV, or whatever. That would stink! I don't have health insurance so it's not exactly easy to go get tested for all sorts of things.
So, assuming it may have been my diet and lack of nutrients in the last year, or the stress or the water, and I give my hair 6-12 months to see if it returns to normal, but it doesn't, then what would you recommend for a plan of attack?
Seeing that I am not losing hairs, just that the hairs I have are thinning, what would I use to help thicken my hairs? finasteride, or Minoxidil, etc.?
Should I even mention the history of male pattern baldness in my family or is that still a controversy as to whether or not it plays a role? Well anyway...my father just has a typical receding hair line. My maternal grandfather had a fairly strong receding line. I can't tell from the only photo I have of him if he had fine hairs. My paternal grandfather had a good head of hair.
Well, that's about everything.
I really appreciate all of your help. Taking your time to read this post.
As you can imagine, you're really my only avenue of good advice.
Thanks again.
http://m4m24g36.tripod.com/
Hello all.
I am a newbie here.
As I am sure you know, it can be a pretty daunting task to find help on such a subject. I am happy to have found such a forum. I have been browsing and searching the forum for the past week.
My situation may be sort of unique and I need some advice.
Just some quick info: I am an Italian-American male, 27 years old.
Referencing my photo, you will see the two photos of when I had short hair. This was just a year ago. I had been wearing my hair like this for years and never was concerned about thinning. It also makes it a bit difficult to tell if you're thinning when your hair is so short (at least I think so). I really noticed the thinning when I decided to grow my hair long this year (like the photos you see). So one might devise one theory stating that maybe male pattern baldness has been in progress for some years and I did not notice it due to wearing my hair short and now that I grew it out, it's more noticable. But there is an issue that might have played a big role. The past year of 2003, I had been living in a different location. A hot climate all year. I was constantly stressed about my life. I was eating crappy food. Microwave meals and maybe too much pasta and olive oil. I know for sure I was missing alot of nutrients. Also, I'm sure the water I showered with was different in that location. I am pretty badly underweight, losing 10-15lbs the past year. Just 125 for a six foot male! For quite a while I've always suspected a hyperactive thyroid gland. I was tested some years back, results where negative. This past year I was tested for it again. Same thing, no hyperthyroidism. I would have actually been happy to hear that I had it. It would have explained away alot of the symptoms I have. I mean, should I really go and get tested yet again. Gee. One other strange thing I was thinking might be a problem, are parasites. I came across an episode on tv discussing this and it does make sense because I can eat so much yet never gain weight. And maybe they are robbing nutrients to my hair. Who knows?!!
The issue right now is that my hair is really fine, baby fine. I don't remember it like this before. I mean, I've always had fine hair but not like this. It's like air when it's dry and you run your hands through it. It just seems so dead and empty. I also want to emphasize that I do have alot of hairs, it's just that they are all way too thin. I am talking about the ones on top. My side hairs and back hairs are o.k. I inspected real close to my scalp and noticed that it seems like there are no empty spaces, meaning lost hairs. So it's not exactly like I am losing hairs, just that they have become real fine.
The hair you see in the photos which I took a few days ago, is styled with a light amount of a hair groom creamy type lotion. So it's not my styling product.
So....I really need some advice. I have returned home a couple weeks back. There is less stress, I am eating better, taking a daily vitamin, and I am in my old environment. So I was thinking on maybe riding it out for a half year of so to see if my hair comes back thicker. I have gotten frustrated quite a few times and wanted to cut my hair short again, but I really like having it longer so I decide not to go forth with cutting it short.
So as you can see, it can be pretty confusing. If I had not gone through such a change in lifestyle in the last year, then for sure I would suspect male pattern baldness and would take the recommended actions.
Heck, also to consider, what if I have some sort of type of disease? Like....I don't know, cancer, or yikes, HIV, or whatever. That would stink! I don't have health insurance so it's not exactly easy to go get tested for all sorts of things.
So, assuming it may have been my diet and lack of nutrients in the last year, or the stress or the water, and I give my hair 6-12 months to see if it returns to normal, but it doesn't, then what would you recommend for a plan of attack?
Seeing that I am not losing hairs, just that the hairs I have are thinning, what would I use to help thicken my hairs? finasteride, or Minoxidil, etc.?
Should I even mention the history of male pattern baldness in my family or is that still a controversy as to whether or not it plays a role? Well anyway...my father just has a typical receding hair line. My maternal grandfather had a fairly strong receding line. I can't tell from the only photo I have of him if he had fine hairs. My paternal grandfather had a good head of hair.
Well, that's about everything.
I really appreciate all of your help. Taking your time to read this post.
As you can imagine, you're really my only avenue of good advice.
Thanks again.
